EU Adaptation Strategy

The European Commission adopted its new EU strategy on adaptation to climate change on 24 February 2021.

The new strategy sets out how the European Union can adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change and become climate resilient by 2050.

The Strategy has four principle objectives: to make adaptation smarter, swifter and more systemic, and to step up international action on adaptation to climate change.

Adaptation actions must be informed by robust data and risk assessment tools that are available to all – from families building homes, businesses in coastal regions and farmers planning their crops.

To achieve this, the strategy proposes actions that push the frontiers of knowledge on adaptation so that we can gather more and better data on climate-related risks and losses, and enhance Climate-ADAPT as the European platform for adaptation knowledge.

The effects of climate change are already being felt, and so we must adapt more quickly and comprehensively.

The strategy therefore focuses on developing and rolling out adaptation solutions to help reduce climate-related risk, increase climate protection and safeguard the availability of fresh water.

Climate change will have impacts at all levels of society and across all sectors of the economy, so adaptation actions must also be systemic.

The Commission will continue to actively mainstream climate resilience considerations in all relevant policy fields.

It will support the further development and implementation of adaptation strategies and plans at all levels of governance with three cross-cutting priorities:

• integrating adaptation into macro-fiscal policy
• nature-based solutions for adaptation
• local adaptation action.

The EU will increase support for international climate resilience and preparedness through the provision of resources, by prioritising action and increasing effectiveness, through the scaling up of international finance and through stronger global engagement and exchanges on adaptation.

The European Commission announced the new, more ambitious EU Adaptation strategy in the European Green Deal in December 2019.

The strategy builds on the 2018 evaluation (accompanied by a staff working document) of the 2013 EU Adaptation Strategy.

An open public consultation was conducted in preparation for the new strategy between May and August 2020.

• EU Climate Adaptation Strategy
• Impact Assessment
• Impact Assessment Executive Summary
• Press Release on the adoption of the 2021 EU Climate Adaptation Strategy
• Q&A on the 2021 EU Climate Adaptation Strategy

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